Strange World Reviews

Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon) co-direct Strange World from Nguyen's screenplay. However, the film tries so desperately to break new ground that it never quite gets there, leaving audiences entertained but not fulfilled.Intrepid explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) leads an expedition to find out what is on the other side of the mountain with his crew. But after an argument with his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal), Jeager sets out independently. Twenty-five years later, Jaeger is still missing, and Searcher's discovery of the energy-producing plant Pando powers the entire world of Avalonia. All seems well until President Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) visits the Clade Pando farm and informs Searcher that the power Pando provides is fading. She enlists him to help solve the issue. Diving into the sinkhole that seems to be the source of the problem, the crew ends up in another world. There, they find Jaeger, who has survived there for 25 years. Now, the reunited Clade family must find the source of the problem and resolve it before Avalonia collapses.The tale is adequate, and that is its chief problem. Hall and Nguyen never exceed adequacy, instead relying on bits and pieces here and there from recycled ideas. While sometimes it is true that a director doesn't get the vision the author intended, that can't be said of this film since Nguyen wears both hats. The story never coalesces, despite its obvious nod to pulp fiction. Every character, every situation, and every conflict feel unoriginal. This makes the story bland, although not completely worthless. It is entertaining enough, and younger children will likely love the visuals. But its subtle lessons and lack of a defined character of conflict step a little too far away from the Disney mold to be stunning. In trying to hold back a little, the directors fail the audience. Even the final payoff seems bland and somewhat borrowed.At first, the visuals are stunning, beautiful, and eye-catching. This, too, ends up in the "sufficient" category, as the audience realizes that the art direction owes a lot of itself to Dr. Seuss. Even some of the characters begin to take on qualities of his drawings with their big, round eyes. Another distracting issue in the animation for the film's first half is that the characters' mouths don't seem in step with what they're saying. Despite technological advances in animation that generally prevents this, this aspect often feels ripped from 1970s Saturday morning cartoons. Henry Jackman's soundtrack is a welcome addition and keeps the film moving, but it doesn't make up for the scripting shortfall.Strange World had a fantastic opportunity to be something new and different but instead settled into mediocrity. This is unfortunate, especially with a writer and director who have such a proven track record. This time, however, the world they build seems strangely familiar.